16x04 - Pins & Needles, Moldings, Locomotives, Clothespins

[bunniefuu]

Narrator:
throughout history,

Sewing needles have kept things
from falling apart at the seams.

From primitive times,
when needles were made of bone,

To today's thin steel versions,

Sewing needles have played
an important role in our lives.

For many years,
this simple tool

Made it possible
to clothe an entire family.

Today, when most clothing
is factory-made,

A sewing kit remains
a household essential.

When things start to unravel,

A needle and thread
offer a quick fix.

Sewing needles
begin with thin steel wire.

Machinery uncoils
two spools simultaneously

And pulls the wires
across guide wheels

And into narrow passageways

To remove kinks
and straighten the wires.

And then cutters slice them
to the length of two needles.

The wires exit
into shaking chutes

And fall into bins
in neat piles.

Each one will be used
to make two needles.

This grinding wheel turns,
and, at the same time,

An overhead wheel revolves
in a different direction,

To bear down
on the ends of the wires

And grind them to a point.

Sparks fly from the friction.

It takes up to six grindings
to make the tips sharp enough.

Then the wires
head down the line

To a series
of stamping machines.

The first one flattens
each wire at midpoint

To form two needle heads.

The next stamping device
punch-cuts two eyes,

One in each head.

The third machine
cuts the wire in two

And trims excess material
from around the needle heads.

The needles fall into a bin.

In three quick steps,
this steel wire

Has been transformed
into two sewing needles.

Next they toughen the metal

By first baking the needles
in an oven

And then quickly bringing down
their temperature.

The temperature shock
hardens the needles.

They cover the needles

With glycerin oil
and a polishing powder.

They wrap them
in a bundle of plastic and cloth

And stitch it up.

They roll a layer of leather
around the bundle of needles.

The package then goes
into a special rolling mill.

It spins in this machine
for two days.

Inside, the needles agitate
with the polishing ingredients,

And they emerge
looking much smoother.

Then it's into a washing machine
for a scrub with soap and water.

This removes
the polishing residue

To prepare them
for electroplating.

Electroplating gives the needles

An outer skin
of corrosion-resistant nickel.

The needles now move forward
into a sorting system

That ensures the needles
are pointing in one direction.

An inspector
examines the needles for flaws

And sorts out
the defective ones.

They dip the eyes
of some needles in a gold bath

And apply an electrical charge

So the gold gravitates
to the nickel and adheres.

A little gold around the eyes
makes them stand out,

So these needles
should be easier to thread.

Meanwhile, the production
of pins is well underway.

Gas jets melt glass
into tiny dollops,

Which stick on to the tops
of the pins as they roll by.

The glass hardens in seconds,

Going from transparent
to opaque.

These glass-headed pins

Are now ready for hemming
and other sewing jobs.

The pins fall between
two revolving cylinders.

The space between the cylinders
gradually narrows.

This sorts the pins by size

As they drop
into various bins below.

Now all that's left
is the packaging.

The packaging line
is entirely automated.

Robots drop sewing needles into
grooves in plastic packages,

And the packages move forward.

The timing is flawless.

Finally, a transparent cover

Showcases this product's
many selling points.

Narrator:
exterior moldings can transform

An ordinary structure
into something grand.

The ancient greeks were
the first to demonstrate this,

With elaborate carved moldings
on temples.

Today there's no need to spend
long hours carving moldings.

Fabricated synthetic versions
are now available

To give a structure
instant curb appeal.

Architectural foam moldings
trick the eye.

They look like stone or wood,

And it's all
a carefully crafted illusion

To impress the neighbors
or passersby.

They start
with a big block of foam.

It's expanded polystyrene,
or e.p.s.

They activate
a hot-wire foam cutter.

Controlled by computer software,

It melts its way
through the thick foam block

To make very precise
and intricate cuts.

This computerized hot wire

Is cutting out pieces
of architectural trim

For windows or doors.

It carves in an economical way
to minimize waste.

Its work done,
the hot wire rises,

Leaving a trail of smoke
from the burning process.

A worker then pushes out
the moldings.

Each piece of architectural trim
is 8 feet in length.

The hot wire now carves
an elaborate fluted column,

One half at a time.

This is a roman-style column.

Once carved in stone,

It's now being replicated
in foam.

And this old-world look
can now be achieved

With minimal physical effort.

To make an arch,
they use a hot-wire shape

Instead of a computerized
straight wire.

They position it in front
of a curved piece of foam.

Rubber drive wheels push
the foam through the hot wire.

These wheels have been preset
to accurately steer the cut.

The result is an arch
that will be a perfect match

For the linear trim
produced earlier,

So they'll fit together
seamlessly.

They use a carved foam wedge
to emulate the keystone,

A piece used in stone arches

To lock parts together
at midpoint.

A worker now wraps the cut foam
moldings in fiberglass mesh.

Pre-infused with glue, the mesh
instantly adheres to the foam.

This mesh adds strength
to the molding,

And it also makes it
crack-resistant.

Next, cement flows into a hopper
and onto the moldings below.

The moldings are driven

Through a template
with the same contours,

To apply the cement evenly
on the surface and the sides.

This is no ordinary cement.

It's a pre-engineered mix,

Fortified with a special resin

To create a durable coating
for the mesh-covered moldings.

A worker then transfers
the moldings to a rack

To cure for a minimum
of 24 hours

Before getting
another coating of cement,

This one
with a much finer texture.

It's much trickier
to apply cement

To an arch-shaped piece
of molding,

So they take
a more hands-on approach.

The employee scoops the cement
onto the meshed-foam semicircle.

He then moves the custom-made
template over the molding,

Instead of pushing
the molding through it.

It's a better way
to evenly distribute the cement

On a curved surface.

After carving, meshing,
and two layers of cement,

This arch is now ready.

For smaller orders, they also
apply the cement manually.

There's no need
for a machine setup

When there are only
one or two columns to be coated.

Guided by a track
on the side of a table,

The worker
slowly draws the template

Down the roman-style column

To apply the cement to the foam
and make it look like stone.

The second layer
gets extra attention.

He rubs the cement into the
grooves for complete coverage

And then pulls the template
across once again,

This time
lightly skimming the surface

To produce a finer texture.

And now these moldings

Are ready to add detail
and definition to a structure.

Narrator: a locomotive
is the powerful vehicle

At the front of a train

That pulls the cars
along the track.

Sometimes there's a second one
pushing from behind, as well.

Passenger-train locomotives
are smaller

And designed primarily
for speed.

Freight locomotives
pulling railcars

Are significantly larger
and stronger.

Heavy hauls
are mammoth freight locomotives

Designed for north america,

Where tracks are wider
and stronger

Than in most other parts
of the world.

Those smaller yellow locomotives
are for the european market.

The larger gray ones
to the right are heavy hauls.

Workers weld together
massive pieces of steel

To construct the locomotive's
structural underframe.

At each end,
they insert a giant steel pin

Through a hole
in the underframe's floor.

For now,
they weld the pins partially

To tack them in position.

Next, lifting and maneuvering it
with giant trunnions,

They flip the underframe

So that the protruding side
of the pins is facing upward.

Then a crane system
transfers the underframe

To another area
to complete the welding.

The pins require
exceptional bonding

Because they connect the
underframe to the wheel frames.

An automated welder
circles each pin repeatedly,

Progressively building up
an inch-thick weld.

They make the same size weld
on the other side of the pin.

All the welded steel parts
are exceptionally thick,

Rendering the underframe
strong enough to pull 500 tons.

Next, they install
the air reservoir and pipes

For the pneumatic brake system

And a 5,300-gallon fuel tank.

Then they assemble

The locomotive's
six traction motors.

Each one generates


Than a typical car --

Giving the locomotive


To build each traction motor,

They bolt coils of wound copper
into a cylinder called a stator.

Then they lower
another cylinder,

Called an armature,
into the stator.

Powered by an alternator,

The coils produce
an electric field

That rotates the armature,

Turning components
which propel the locomotive.

Workers lubricate the wheels

Then, using a strong press,

Fit two on each
of the vehicle's six axles.

Each wheel is a yard in diameter
and weighs about a half a ton.

The axle has a large gear
that turns both wheels.

This finished unit is called
a wheel-axle-gear assembly --

"W.a.g." For short.

Workers install a w.a.g.

Onto each of the six
traction motors.

The w.a.g.'S gear engages
with the traction motor's gear,

So when the motor runs,
that gear turns,

Which then rotates
the w.a.g. Gear,

Which turns the wheels.

So now there are six w.a.g.
And traction motor combinations.

Workers divide them
into two groups of three

Then bolt each trio
into a frame called a bogie.

So, now the locomotive
has two bogies,

Each with an air-driven
brake system built into it.

Until this point, the bogies
have been upside down.

Now a crane flips them
right side up

To prepare for the final
assembly of the locomotive.

They position the two bogies
next to the underframe

At opposite ends.

Cranes then lift the underframe

And slowly lower it
onto the bogies.

The pivot pins protruding
from beneath the upper frame

Drop into receiving holes
in the bogies.

Next, they lower
a giant alternator

Onto the deck of the underframe.

It powers the traction motors

As well as the control systems
and other auxiliary equipment.

This 16-cylinder,


Drives the alternator.

Next, the operator's cab --

It's insulated for sound

And sits
on a shock-absorber system.

Then the various
electrical hookups,

Including these thick cables.

Each one contains
more than 1,000 wires,

Carrying nearly 10,000 amps.

Now a hood goes over the engine
and alternator

To protect them
from the elements.

From here, the locomotive
goes to another department

For paint and decals.

The finished locomotive
is 75 feet long.

Fueled up,
it weighs 225 tons

And, depending on the terrain,

Can haul a train
up to 6/10 of a mile long.

Narrator: the first clothespin
was invented

In the early 1800s
by the shakers.

It was a cylindrical
piece of wood

With a vertical notch
cut into the bottom.

In 1853, an american inventor

Patented a spring-loaded,
two-piece lever clothespin.

That's the type still produced
today in both plastic and wood.

This czech company makes
clothespins out of beech wood.

Beech is ideal
because it's hard and durable.

When the logs arrive
at the factory,

An automated band saw
slices each one laterally

Into 2.8-inch-thick planks.

Wood is naturally damp,

So it's critical
to dry the planks.

Otherwise,
clothespins made from them

Would repeatedly
expand and contract

With temperature changes

And eventually crack.

First, the planks air-dry
outdoors for about 7 months,

Until their moisture level
drops to 20%.

Then the planks go into a kiln
for 3 or 4 weeks

To bring the moisture level down
to between 8% and 10%.

The wood, now stable,
workers cut the planks

Into shorter,
more manageable lengths...

Then into


Next they feed the blocks
into a cutting machine.

Its four circular blades

Simultaneously saw
through each block,

Cutting it into five pieces.

Each piece
is 4/10 of an inch thick.

As these thin pieces
exit the machine,

Workers inspect them.

Any pieces with knots
or other flaws are removed

And sold to a factory
that makes mousetraps.

The pieces which pass inspection

Go into an automated
milling machine.

It cuts each piece
into four smaller pieces

Then, in each smaller piece,

Carves the shape of
a clothespin clip on the front

And a notch in the back.

So, each thin piece of wood
has gone from this...

To this...

To this.

The notch on the back

Will hold the spring
that mates two clips

And produces the tension
they need to grip.

The next machine saws four lines
down each piece,

Cutting it
into five identical clips.

Before...

And after.

All that cutting leaves
rough, splintered edges,

So workers now load the clips
into a sanding barrel.

As the barrel revolves,

The clips rub
against each other,

The abrasion gradually
smoothing the rough wood.

Workers also place
a piece of wax amid the clips.

As the barrel turns,

Particles rub off
and coat the wood,

Making it even smoother.

Meanwhile,
another automated machine

Makes the springs
out of 5/100"-thick iron wire.

The wire has has a zinc coating
on it to prevent rust.

Watch in slow motion

How the machine
twists the wire seven times

To make the coil portion
of the spring

Then bends the ends to make the
part that fits into the notch.

With all the parts ready to go,
it's assembly time.

Workers load clips and springs

Into separate chutes
of the assembly machine.

As each spring drops down,

A mechanical finger
pushes the end aside

To clear the way for a pair
of clips to encase the coil.

Then it releases the end of the
spring into the clip notches.

The machine does all this

At a rate of 8,000 clothespins
per hour.

The finished clothespins
drop onto a conveyor belt

That transports them
to the next machine,

Which groups them by the dozen.

From there, it's off
to the packaging machine,

Which is preset to assemble
a specific retail format.

This is a 36-count package,

So they've set the machine to
stack three dozen clothespins.

After placing a paper label
on top,

The machine shrink-wraps
the package.

Clothespins may be
rather ordinary products,

But their reputation
is always on the line.

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